Monday, October 28, 2024
We are being given a runaround. When a party wins an election, its victory excuses every mistake or excess for years before the election. We won, didn’t we? Any new criticism is interpreted as sour grapes or denial of the result: the purest illustration of one day dominating every other. Every idea that pops into a new PM’s head is beyond reproach, because he just won an election. Later, as the next election approaches, criticism becomes a luxury the party can’t afford, because the leader must be given latitude to win the next election. Rinse and repeat.